Depends on the equipment you're using, how strong it is compared to how strong you are. If you can't hit depth or get a touch at a weight you can triple, then you're forced to go a little higher. Generally speaking, if you have to open at ~95% because of your gear, you're either going to have a really good day, or a really bad day. This usually happens with higher performance equipment that's competition tight.

i begin to estimate my openers the week of as i work up to singles of all those lifts twice that week. the final decision is not made till i show up and weigh in/sign in.

second attempts are based upon how that opener felt with a hope of at least matching a PR. 3rd attempt i go balls to the wall. if i dont end the meet with blown blood vessels across my face and shoulders then i did not try hard enough.

I'm different than some. I'm 6 training weeks out and I've already established my openers and hit them in full gear. I had an idea based upon my last meet as to where they should be and based my training for this meet on that.

I used to open with a weight I could do hurt. So say if I intended a 8-900 squat, I'd open 650-700. If I intended a 500 plus bench 375-400. Same with deads. Definitely a weight I could get 3-5 reps. Second attempts would be 90 ish% and third depending if I got second would be a repeat or 100-110% a pr if feeling froggy. Always choose a first you will never miss. Never know when anxiety or bad luck etc will zap your strength.

I think I set up my training cycle alright, but I made some decisions based on some assumptions that I now am questioning. This is exactly last minute for me, but if I wanted to change course I could, but one more day and I would not be able to change course. Here it goes - before my meet (date irrelevant), I had set up a "12 week" cycle. Three weeks were heavy training weeks with the 4th being a deload. First block, I started with increased volume overall and from week to week went heavier and brought down volume on the comp. lifts while just adding volume to my accessory. Second block is supposed to be bringing intensity up more on comp. lifts, bringing their volume down, and now bringing accessory intensity up and volume down. Third block really dials the intensity up and volume down of everything. Somewhere along the line I thought maybe I should eliminate skip the third week of my third block (the intense week) and just make that a deload that takes me up to my meet, where I take my lifts to their max.

Should I stick with that plan, or should I have completed the three weeks, deloaded on the 4th week of the third block, and do my meet at the end of that 4th week?

i am 10 days out from a meet and i think i have an idea on openers much sooner than usual. at least with squats i know what im going for. i have no idea on dead yet and bench have narrowed it down at least. i had such a horrible workout last night that i am not even sure on those lifts. i hope that was just an off day. i dont mind off days just not right before a meet.

I think I set up my training cycle alright, but I made some decisions based on some assumptions that I now am questioning. This is exactly last minute for me, but if I wanted to change course I could, but one more day and I would not be able to change course. Here it goes - before my meet (date irrelevant), I had set up a "12 week" cycle. Three weeks were heavy training weeks with the 4th being a deload. First block, I started with increased volume overall and from week to week went heavier and brought down volume on the comp. lifts while just adding volume to my accessory. Second block is supposed to be bringing intensity up more on comp. lifts, bringing their volume down, and now bringing accessory intensity up and volume down. Third block really dials the intensity up and volume down of everything. Somewhere along the line I thought maybe I should eliminate skip the third week of my third block (the intense week) and just make that a deload that takes me up to my meet, where I take my lifts to their max.

Should I stick with that plan, or should I have completed the three weeks, deloaded on the 4th week of the third block, and do my meet at the end of that 4th week?

I say trust your program, take the early deload, and hit your meet fresh. One final week of balls to the walls training could take away from your meet nujmbers, and of course the platform is where it counts. Hope I understood your question, and I hope that helps.

Basically, I can condense a number of workouts in my now second block such that after my 2nd deload, I have 4 weeks before meet, and I could take a third week of heavy, then deload up to my meet. Or, I could work out every other day such that after my 2nd deload I now have 3 weeks to my meet; Here I'd only have 2 heavy weeks, then deload on the third up to my meet.

I think I might go ahead and stick to the plan. It'll be my first meet, and I might have already been overthinking it, so I'll try to keep it simple and see how it goes. I think my third week is technically a peak week, so this can work.

I have never competed in powerlifting but for strongman I always go with about 90% of what ever I have hit most recently on that lift. 2nd attempt depending on how I feel may be 2-5% over my PR and then 3rd is something I have never done.